What's on deck with decks?

Nancy Rempel, Edmonton Journal06.24.2014

The Jeffels commissioned Julia Todorova of Julia's Alpine Garden to bring their country-villa vision to life. Todorova designed the brickand-stone wall, and then enlisted Vassil Sabotilov, a local artist and sculptor to hand-build it.Ryan Jackson
/ Edmonton Journal

The Jeffels family enjoys regular travel to Italy and France, so the couple had Old World charm in mind when they envisioned the landscaping, deck and six-metre privacy wall.Ryan Jackson
/ Edmonton Journal

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While curb appeal creates great first impressions, if you want to add tangible value to your home consider beautifying the backyard with a sharp-looking deck.

Well-designed, multi-functional decks not only add extra living space, they are long-term investments that raise the resale price of a home, says Chris Sklar of Salisbury Landscaping in Sherwood Park.

So these days, homeowners are demanding more of their deck and patio areas. "If they are going to spend the money, they want what they want - a custom design that is functional for their own outdoor uses," says Sklar.

Popular customized items include gazebos, satellite or second-level decks; mood lighting; gourmet kitchens and large bars; and creative landscaping that may even include small rivers. The trend to maintenance-free surfaces is helping homeowners achieve their vision more easily. Wooden decks are becoming obsolete. Instead, composites and stone are placed at different heights and in contrasting colours and patterns, to create natural borders and spaces within larger areas. Unique materials for screening are also showing up prominently, with laser-cut metal or etched vinyl panels providing both function and beauty.

The location of eye-catching features is also changing. Fireplaces are no longer adrift in the middle of the yard; they are becoming focal points positioned in proximity to seating. Water elements are shrinking both in size and maintenance. Bubbling rocks and water curtains are fashionable choices that are moving closer to deck and patio areas to offer soothing sounds.

Here's how a handful of Edmonton homeowners made their deck dreams a reality.

SOUTH OF ITALY

Four years ago, when Rori and Allan Jeffels purchased their heritage home in Westmount, the rear deck was an outcropping that measured less than two metres deep, with a utilitarian, wooden wall.

The Jeffels family enjoys regular travel to Italy and France, so the couple had Old World charm in mind when they envisioned the landscaping, deck and six-metre privacy wall.

"We wanted to bring it out of the house and have a sitting area that was a lot like being in an Italian garden - very European," says Rori Jeffels. "That's why we used a lot of the stone. The three windows that are in the wall are actually from the original house ... to kind of make it look like an extension of the house."

Indeed, the bricks in the facade were salvaged from the 104-year-old home's chimney.

The Jeffels commissioned Julia Todorova of Julia's Alpine Garden to bring their country-villa vision to life. Todorova designed the brickand-stone wall, and then enlisted Vassil Sabotilov, a local artist and sculptor to hand-build it.

"He did an amazing job," says Jeffels. "He stained all the old wood and burned it to make it look old, and created the roof with the ceramic tile to make it look like an outside wall." Sabotilov then patiently cut, coloured and then attached each stone by hand.

"That's our favourite spot," says Jeffels, who describes the result as a work of art she enjoys just sitting and looking at, "especially now that the blooms are coming out, because we have lilacs and other trees that hang over the wall."

The new space has extended the time the family spends outdoors and makes large gatherings, such as regular Sunday dinners, more manageable.

It's even a hit with the couple's young adult sons who, when watching sports, prefer the deck's ambience over a trendy patio downtown - they just aim the indoor TV their way.

ROOM FOR A RIVER

When Marty and Fazula Grosh decided it was time to upgrade the exterior and landscaping of their Valleyview home, plans also included replacing the home's large deck, which Marty jokes was "like a giant dance floor."

The couple enlisted Chris Brayman of Jade Landscaping and Design to create an oasis that not only complements the home's new look, but also incorporates the home's new water feature - a stunning 21-metre-long stream with its series of waterfalls.

The result is a unique and curved creation made of a red-and-blond Indonesian hardwood called batu.

"It is used on ship decks, so it is really hardy," says Marty Grosh, adding that the wood's finish also blends perfectly with the orangeand-rust colour scheme of the new landscaping.

The main deck now includes a simple outdoor kitchen, with a built-in barbecue and food preparation space.

The countertop was originally finished in a charming tile montage the couple brought back from Italy, but the tiles didn't survive the freeze-thaw cycle of our winter, so it has been refinished in polished concrete. The home's second deck area, located deeper in the yard, is also constructed of batu and includes bench seating around a fire bowl covered in sculptured-steel branches. The bowl was designed by Elena Colombo, an American sculptor and architectural designer whose specialty is unique fire pits. Grosh has high praise for master carpenter Ian Griebel, who faced a number of building challenges, including the discovery and removal of a large concrete pad below the previous deck.

Ironically, Grosh says he and his wife haven't got around to the grown-up entertaining they originally anticipated would take place on the new deck. The couple planned the project in 2011, long before their 19-monthold son William arrived on the scene.

He and his rubber boots now claim the stream for a fantasy playground, and the fire bowl comes in handy for roasting marshmallows. However, the Groshes love their decks and the tranquillity the backyard spaces offer at the end of a busy day.

REVERSE VIEW WITH PERGOLA

In 2008, Graham Jones and his wife Carol decided to fill in the large backyard pool in their Buena Vista-area home and replace it with a multilevel perennial garden. Their vision also included a place for relaxing and enjoying a different perspective on their newly landscaped yard.

With a patio constructed of prefab concrete already attached to the house, they decided to build a low deck positioned in the rear of the yard where they could enjoy extra privacy and also look back and view the entire garden. Jones says a covered pergola for the new deck was always part of the new yard's overall design, which he and his wife commissioned through Salisbury Landscaping.

The regal-looking pergola has since become the couple's favourite oasis for enjoying sandwiches and a cool drink after working in the garden, for storm watching, and for bundling up with a hot drink in spring sunshine.

The handsome, twosquare-metre structure, constructed of cedar pillars with a shade-distributing honeycomb cover, has also become a focal point in the yard yearround. Clematis climbs up its trellises in warm months, and in the winter Carol sets up a tall urn with a large topiary display in its lit threshold.

It is, says Jones, a far more attractive view than the one that used to dominate the yard for much of the year - the black tarp that covered the old pool.

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